Sept - Nov 2011 Mystery Object

Can you guess what the current Mystery Object was?

Look at the video and images and tell us what you think it is. These questions might help you guess:

What material is this object made from?

Where have you seen something like this object in the past?

Who might have used this object?

For what purpose might they have used it for?

How could you use the object?

Scroll down for the answer.

Guesses

Light bulb (James, age 52)Float bottle for use in toilet cisterns and similar (Jade, age 29)Bulb (Kanak, age 7)Float to indicate the water level in a tank for steam trains (Aiden, age 11)Chemistry flask from a laboratory (Marianne, age 33)Glass bottle for conveying water or other liquids; or a flask of some sort (Cameron, age 20)Perfume bottle (Georgia, age 41)Light bulb (Dylan, age 9)Used for creating a vacuum (Ellanda, age 17)Glass water bottle (Jackie, age 69)Land mine (Bruce, age 69)Vessel to contain the captured spirits of past Queensland Rail workers (Kristy, age 21)Oil in water overflow/tester glass for steam trains (Mason, age 25)Fire extinguisher (Lindy, age 54)Hydrogen gas chamber (Ian, age 38)Old toilet cistern float (Merv, age 64)A bottle that photo ink was stored in (Jane, age 42)Chemistry flask from a laboratory (Marianne, age 33)A glass bottle for conveying water or other liquids; or a flask of some sort (Cameron, age 20)A perfume bottle (Georgia, age 41)Light bulb (Dylan, age 9)Fire extinguisher (Daniel, age 7)Used for creating a vacuum (Ellanda, age 17)Glass water bottle (Jackie, age 69)Alcoholic flask (Casey, age 27)Land mine (Bruce, age 69)Medicine bottle (Monique, age 30)Wine holder (Ellen, age 11)A thing that people used to plug the toilet (Natalia, age 10)

A Fire Extinguisher Hand Grenade

Made from thin glass, these hand grenades were common from 1860-1900. They were filled with either salt water or in later years, a highly toxic chemical called Carbon Tetrachloride.

The method was very simple – throw the grenade at the base of the fire and upon breaking, the contents would quench the flames. Although highly interesting, they had limited effectiveness. Fire extinguisher hand grenades became less popular after the invention of powder designed to put out fires.